[2] Gulf County is included in the Panama City, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 2018, Category 5 Hurricane Michael made landfall just miles north of the county line in Mexico Beach, severely damaging large parts of the region and its timber and shellfish industries.

[3] Unincorporated areas include:[4][5] By way of the Intracoastal Waterway, Gulf County is one of a small number of counties in the United States to be in two time zones, Eastern and Central in this case.

The 2020 United States census counted 14,192 people, 5,571 households, and 3,656 families in Gulf County, Florida.

28.2% of households consisted of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[16] The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $50,640 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,582).

25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Once heavily Democratic, Gulf County voted Republican at the Presidential level for the first time in 1964 and has transitioned to a Republican stronghold at the Presidential level.

Republicans flipped most county offices in the 2010s and now consist of a strong majority of registered voters as of 2023.

Gulf County is a part of Florida's 2nd Congressional District and is represented by Neal Dunn (R).